No Tears With This One!

Ok, how can you not laugh and smile when you send this one off to school? She is just so animated that you can't be sad. She just loves posing for the camera. Can you see now why we have her in an Arts Magnet School? Hope the 2nd grade teacher is ready for her!






Hannah & the Hanby Hawk (a.k.a. principal)
The Hanby Hawk always greets students on the first day back to school!

A New Chapter

Can't believe this new chapter of our lives has begun. The day was met with smiles by Lucas and I pray that I will still see that wonderful smile when I pick him up from school today. Me, on the other hand, cried the moment he was out of my sight. I didn't think him going off to kindergarten was bad but sending him off to middle school was really tough. Not used to this early morning stuff either, as you can tell from the pictures. Being up and totally ready this early is difficult for me. Parker woke up just in time to say goodbye to "Bubby". Hannah has yet to start her morning. And so this new chapter begins.

So Sad!

My heart is breaking tonight. Lucas is so scared about going to Middle School on Monday. Between having an awful year in fifth grade and then leaving most of his friends to go to a new school, he is just a wreck. My heart is aching for him. I pray that middle school will be kind to him. I hate seeing him cry. Hard to believe 6 years have gone by since this picture taken of him starting kindergarten. Wish life could be as simple as it was then.

Family Additions

Ok, before you start getting excited about anything, understand that these new family additions are furry. Hannah has been saving her money for a long time and finally got enough to buy the cage and needed supplies for these. So welcome to Mr. Bunny & Mr. Squeaky. And no they aren't bunnies. They are hamsters, who right now aren't getting along well. I hope that will change or we might need to buy another cage. We got 2 so they would keep each other company but so far one keeps dominating the other and making the other sqeak. Can you guess which is which? That's how his name came to be. Mr. Bunny looks like a miniture bunny, at least to Hannah. He is the one on the right.

Week of P

Week of P you ask? That's the focus of my week so far.


















My 2 most time consuming P words are Potty Training Parker,
which means I have heard & said the words Pee and Poop, more times than I care to count. I have spared posting pictures of that.


Number 2 P word is plastering. So I have hated the wallpaper in the kitchen for a long time now, both what I hung and the one I covered over. See pictures for my green paper and the previous owner's putrid dark blue floral wallpaper. So this week with the help of Michael's parents and the kids, the wallpaper was picked, pulled, steamed, scraped or whatever else it took to get the paper off the wall. Kids thought it was fun for about 1/2 hour and then they were done helping. The grownups never thought it was fun but continued into day 2 before finishing the job.

Next came plastering, not to fix the walls, as they were actually fine. No I had to decided to Venetian Plaster my walls. Not an easy task. No wonder the guys as Home Depot thought I was crazy. Think they became my friends though after about 20 trips in 4 days to get stuff. No exaggerating either the number of trips. Want to see completed kitchen pictures? Hey another P word. :-) Well those will have to wait until we actually finish the kitchen, which knowing our completion rate on home projects might be a few years. Actually Michael & Harry finished up some of the unfinished jobs from the 1st kitchen remodel we did 5 years ago. Please remind me too never to wallpaper a room and please no more green rooms.

Still need to blog about Leprachaun Land. Looking ahead to the week, I still have more P words including PTA functions, picnics, parties and much more. Stay tuned!

Finally arrived!

Well stalking the UPS man finally paid off.
The large Mater finally arrived to fill the spot reserved for him on the wall.
Although, it unfortunately came while I was away for the afternoon.



Parker was just too excited to get his "bigger" Mater.
Bigger is his new word to describe things.
I was getting ready a few mornings ago and he in his
cute voice said I had a bigger butt. Although he thinks Hannah's is bigger too,
so I guess I don't mind my rear being bigger like hers.

Wish moments like this could last!

Can't believe summer is almost gone.
In a few weeks the kids will be in school and
shortly afterwards the pool will be closed.
Hate that the pool is closed more months of the year than it is open.
I do envy that about people in warmer climates like Arizona!